Published: Monday, April 22, 2013 at 10:16 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, April 22, 2013 at 10:16 p.m.

Some senior classes go out with a bang.
The 13-member senior class of the third-ranked Florida lacrosse team went out with an explosion.
The Gators capped their 2013 regular season by dominating the most dominant program in the nation, Northwestern, by a score of 22-4 to celebrate UF's first-ever Senior Day at Donald R. Dizney Stadium Saturday.
With the win, UF (16-1, 4-1), in just its fourth year of competition, earned a share of the American Lacrosse Conference Championship for the third straight year, tying the No. 4 Wildcats (13-2, 4-1) and No. 6 Penn State (11-4, 4-1) for the title.

“Saturday was quite a day for us,” head coach Amanda O'Leary said. “First, a huge shout out to all of the fans that came out despite the weather. They came out in full force, and it was great to look up in the stands and see so many people that came not only to support our team, but to celebrate our seniors. We certainly appreciate it.”
In addition, Florida's unexpected lopsided win netted the Gators the No. 1 seed for the second straight season for the upcoming ALC Tournament in Baltimore, Md., May 2-5. The tiebreaker was goals allowed in conference play, with the top two seeds garnering first-round berths.
Northwestern, which has won seven of the last eight NCAA titles, had a seemingly comfortable lead in that regard entering Saturday's match, with only 27 goals allowed to UF's 42.
But after scoring almost as many goals against the Wildcats as they had given up all season while holding them to their lowest scoring output in 10 years, the Gators finished with the lowest total (46), with Northwestern (49) second and Penn State (62) a distant third.
The next action for UF, the defending ALC Tournament champion, will be in the semifinals Friday, May 3, at 1 p.m. against the winner of the first-round game between Ohio State and host Johns Hopkins.
Track & field
The third-ranked UF men and fifth-ranked women turned in a solid effort Saturday at the 6th Tom Jones Memorial Classic, combining to win eight event titles while setting a number of personal-best marks.
This weekend, the Gators will get their final tune-up for the 2013 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships, which will be held in Columbia, Mo., May 9-12. The majority of both squads will travel to the Arkansas Spring Invitational in Fayetteville Friday and Saturday, while the distance corps will compete at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, Cal., Sunday.
“Overall, when I sat down and looked at it, I realized we had a very good meet,” head coach Mike Holloway said of Saturday's effort.
“In terms of this weekend, I'm very excited about it. Anytime you can go to a great facility and compete against some great teams, that's an exciting opportunity. We're looking forward to going in there and getting some good marks and get us some momentum as we move to the championships.”
Volleyball
The defending SEC Champion UF volleyball team has completed its spring schedule, and head coach Mary Wise is upbeat about her squad that returns the bulk of last year's young 27-5 team that lost in the regional semifinals to eventual NCAA Champion Texas in Austin.
This spring, UF hosted a pair of matches in Gainesville against FSU, played two road matches at Miami and one at UCF, and played a home match against Team Wave, a squad of ex-college players coached by former UF assistant Nick Cheronis.
“Unlike some sports, the NCAA rules allow us in the spring to play outside competition, which gives us a great comparison in terms of where we are without playing with your seniors and ideas for the future where you can get better,” head coach Mary Wise said. “The best thing that came out of the spring for us was our health (no injuries).”

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